Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Losing the Icon - Steve Jobs

I remember being in the 5th grade when we were called down to the principal's office to participate in a moment of history. The school had just purchased its very first computer - an Apple IIe.

At that time, we, my classmates and I, had no idea who Steve Jobs was, or what a significant impact his invention would have on our lives. We weren't allowed to touch it, just look at it. The monitor was huge, at least to a 10 year old like me. None of us showed any great thrill in the sight of what amounted to a TV screen that produced green numbers and letters. To us, it was something old folks found exciting. It was a machine we didn't know anything about.

At some point, in every living person's history, we have been touched by a man the majority of us never had the pleasure, or opportunity, to meet. He was a living Icon. I don't have to give you a biography of Steve Jobs, you can just Google it, knowing without his influence in the world, the internet may not be what we have today.

He was the I-Man, father of all the I-Family products: ITunes, IPad, IPhone etc.

Steve Jobs was more than just a CEO, a suit, a player, or whatever corporate title you want to give him. He was a son, a husband, a father. He was someone who was loved and adored by his family. A family he protected from media infiltration on a daily basis.

His immediate family was very important to him, but his other family was also important. He didn't want to leave us without saying goodbye - in his own way. And that, is something no one can ever discount, everything he did, he did it his way.

So, to my old friend, Steve Jobs, who has lived in my house through I-Family products, I bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for all your wonderful contributions to the world. May you find peace and rest.